With the ASUS ROG and TUF Z97 motherboards detailed, what remains is their Legacy lineup which include their long running Deluxe series and Workstation series boards. The ASUS Z97 Workstation while not aimed specifically for consumers is the most feature rich product of the series followed by the Z97 Deluxe.

ASUS Z97 Motherboards – Legacy Lineup Pictured and Detailed

So the third and last lineup we will detail is ASUS’s Z97 TUF Legacy motherboard lineup which are aimed towards enthusiasts, overclockers and budget users. Built with top of the line components and feature packed, the line-up is aimed towards all performance users and gamers including enthusiasts. The new motherboards from ASUS include some interesting features this round such as Intel Ethernet, LAN Guard, DIGI+ Power Control, Turbo App, Turbo LAN, Crystal Sound 2, HomeCloud (802.11ac B/G/N) and an interesting new design scheme for next-gen Intel platform. The ASUS Z97 motherboards ‘Legacy’ lineup includes the following products which will be detailed below:

ASUS Z97-WS

ASUS Z97-Deluxe

ASUS Z97I-Pro

ASUS Z97-Pro

ASUS Z97-A

ASUS Z97-WS (Workstation)

The ASUS Z97-WS which is a workstation oriented motherboard is the most feature packed product of ASUS’s entire Z97 lineup featuring a top of the line 8 Phase DIGI+ VRM fitted with high quality components. The CPU LGA1150 socket is powered by two 8-Pin connectors in addition to the 24-Pin ATX connector. The Z97 PCH and VRM supply are hidden underneath a dense aluminum heatsink with heatpipe design. Storage options on the board include four SATA 6 GB/s ports, two SATA Express ports and two USB 3.0 headers for additional options enabling connectivity.

Expansion slots include four PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots, three PCI-e 3.0 x1 slots and a PCI-e 3.0 x4 slot. There’s also a M.2 interface slot near the SATA Express port which gives an idea of the feature packed design ASUS enables on their workstation motherboards. An additional 6-Pin power connector is located on the top most PCI-e 3.0 slot which delivers additional power to the PCI-e lanes. Two diagnostic LEDs and power On/Off/Reset switches are located at the bottom of the board. The motherboard comes with a wide variety of I/O options and technologies such as ProCool power connector and Q-code logger. To sum it up, this is like i said before, the most feature packed board of the Z97 ASUS lineup.

ASUS Z97-Deluxe

The next motherboard is ASUS’s Z97-Deluxe which is the flagship consumer product of the Legacy lineup which is also the most feature packed board we have seen yet in ASUS’s Z97 motherboards lineup (excluding the Z97-WS). Equipped with a large heatpipe heatsink design, the motherboard features a 12 Phase DIGI+ VRM and powered through a single 8-Pin connector. The CPU socket is powered by a 12 Phase DIGI+ VRM which features both TPU and EPU technology support. Storage options include 6 SATA 6 GB/s and a single SATA Express port which will enable faster transfer speeds for next generation SSDs.

Expansion slots include three PCI-e 3.0 x16, four PCI-e 3.0 x1 and a M.2 interface slot. ASUS has featured their Crystal Sound 2 chip on the board which enables high quality sound and audio output. Several connectors and switches can be found on the entire motherboard layout and the I/O panel. ASUS has featured a totally new heatsink design on their Z97 motherboards which include heatpipe cooling and a large aluminum heatsink for cooling.

ASUS Z97I-Pro

The ASUS Z97I-Pro is the latest Mini-ITX form factor motherboard from ASUS based on the LGA1150 socket and Z97 chipset. This motherboard comes with ASUS’s latest Z97 design scheme offering users with a 6 Phase DIGI+ VRM supply and fitted with top of the line components. The CPU socket is powered with a single 8-Pin connector in addition to the 24-Pin ATX connector. A Wi-Fi 802.11ac B/G/N module can be spotted on the board while the audio jack includes a 5.1 channel support. Storage includes four SATA 6 GB/s ports while expansion slots include a single PCI-e 3.0 x16 slot for add-in cards or discrete graphics options.

ASUS Z97-Pro

The ASUS Z97-Pro is the more performance minded offering of the legacy lineup featuring the LGA1150 socket to support Intel’s Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Devil’s Canyon and Broadwell processors. The Z97 PCH featured on the motherboard will enable support for Intel’s 9-Series platform. Design wise, this board includes a 10 Phase DIGI+ VRM design and the CPU socket is powered by a 8-Pin connector. Four DDR3 DIMMs enable support for overclock memory with capacity of 32 GB. Storage include 6 SATA 6 GB/s ports and a SATA Express port.

Expansion slots include three PCI-e 3.0 x16, four PCI-e 3.0 x1 and an M.2 SSD slot that will enable support for Intel NGFF solid state drives. Several connectivity options such as Crystal Sound 2 powered 7.1 Channel audio jack and USB 3.0 ports can be found on the I/O panel in addition to a add-in card slot which will most likely attach a Wi-Fi Go module with the board.

ASUS Z97-A

Last up is the ASUS Z97-A which is the budget minded offering of the legacy lineup featuring the LGA1150 socket to support Intel’s Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Devil’s Canyon and Broadwell processors. The Z97 PCH featured on the motherboard will enable support for Intel’s 9-Series platform. Design wise, this board includes a 8 Phase DIGI+ VRM design and the CPU socket is powered by a 8-Pin connector. Four DDR3 DIMMs enable support for overclock memory with capacity of 32 GB. Storage include 4 SATA 6 GB/s ports and a SATA Express port.

Expansion slots include three PCI-e 3.0 x16, two PCI-e 3.0 x1, a single PCI slot and an M.2 SSD slot that will enable support for Intel NGFF solid state drives. Several connectivity options such as Crystal Sound 2 powered 7.1 Channel audio jack and USB 3.0 ports can be found on the I/O panel.

The ASUS Z97 Legacy motherboards from ASUS will launch along side Haswell Refresh on 10th May 2014 and would be available at different price points. More products under the Legacy brand will be introduced after launch of Intel’s 9-Series platform.